When the past meets the future
by Minty4ever
Summary: During the last battle, Hawkeye noticed a girl fighting the aliens. After the battle, the Avengers follow Hawkeye to the girl, they see she put up a fight. This girl holds secrets and answers to unasked questions about the past. Based off the Movie! Not the comics
1. The girl

They all circled around her, looking down at the limp form. Natasha turned to look at Clint. "She did all of this," she said gesturing at the mass of alien bodies surrounding the girl on the ground. Clint nodded "Yeah, at least I think so, but I couldn't find her gun."

The Avengers had all come down to one of the many parks in the city after Clint had said he had seen something amazing. Something amazing had turned out to be a girl lying on her back passed out. They had all rolled their eyes at Clint after they had noticed that her skirt was ripped up showing more thigh than it should have. Clint had gotten mad, "No! Look around you! See all the aliens? They were dead before the nuke went in, she somehow killed them."

Thor turned around looking for the gun Clint had mentioned. He walked past the fountain that the girl had been using as a back guard and followed the path of dead bodies. While he did that, Tony had leaned over the girl. Before the aliens had come, she had obviously been at a party. Her long light pink dress was elegant if it wasn't for the dirt covering it. It should have decently covered her ankles but somehow two long slits ran up her legs. She was lying on her back, one leg bent at the knee while the other was straight. Her feet were bare and bloody. Tony hissed as he noticed the other many scraps that marred her body. "She was a beauty this one." He murmured, feeling a sudden urge to leave and find Pepper.

Steve turned around from inspecting a body, "Was?" he questioned. He walked over to feel for a pulse. "Is" he confirmed looking at Tony, then back down at the girl, "She _is_ a beauty." Her long brown hair haloed her head showing off her pale skin and dark lips. Her cheeks were round and were lightly rosed; if she had been awake they might have been cherry red,

"Men," Thor called, and then as an afterthought, "And Natasha, come look at this." The Avengers went to Thor who was a ways away. He was pointing at two bodies on the ground. After a second glance, it was obvious what had killed them: two little, delicate high heels were lodged firmly in their throats, a death as swift as an arrow from Clint. Steve blanched and stumbled back. They all turned to stare at him. Steve's eyes were wide and his face pale; he was holding his stomach, fighting back nausea. Bruce laughed, "Really after all you have seen today and in the past, this is what you get sick at?" He shook his head. "A little girl who knows how to use her shoes to save her life?" He laughed again.

Steve grimaced, "I don't know why, but that is disgusting." He chuckled at himself before moving on. As they walked back to the girl, they saw ribbons that had hung aliens from trees; other aliens were strangled with the same type of cloth. Then it looked as if the ribbon had run out during the fight. And more and more aliens had been put to death with a blade across their throats. "Has anyone found a dagger? Or sword?" Steve asked. "Or at least something sharp?" Nobody replied. A little farther down the path, Tony suddenly remembered, "I think she is grasping something in her hands."

Natasha went on ahead. To her surprise, the girl's eyes were open. Natasha slowed down, hoping not to startle her. Too late though, the girl squeal and jumped to her feet. Natasha saw a glint of metal in the girl's hands. Focusing her eyes one them, her jaw dropped as she recognized the objects as fans. Sharp blades poked out from the end of the dainty devices. The girl twisted her hands back and one of the fans went flying. Natasha dove out of the way as the fan whistled above her. "No! No! Stop! I'm human!" She called. The girl's dark eyes scanned Natasha and the other fan snapped shut in the tight grip of the girl. "Oh," was all she said before she started to sway. Her face twisted in pain as hot red pain encased her feet. Her eyes lost focus and she tipped forward.

"Steve!" Natasha called rushing forward to help the girl to the ground. Strong arms encircled the girl as Steve picked her up bridal style. Bruce winced as he saw blood dye the light dress, he then realized were the blood was coming from and rushed forward crying, "Careful! She's bleeding. We need the medics." The girl groaned her dark eyes fluttering open and Steve almost dropped her.

"Steve!" Bruce cried. But Steve was too focused on the girl to notice.

"Peggy?" he whispered. The girl smiled weakly and shook her head so lightly that Steve could only feel the movement. "No, Serena. Grandma's Peggy," she answered, before closing her eyes.


	2. Serena

**Hey everyone! I'm going to try to write a new chapter every week, but you know what would help me make sure that I write? That's right! Reviews!**

When she woke up, Serena didn't know where she was. The room around her was white and small. A little amount of pain radiated from her feet as she sat up. Instantly the door opened and a doctor in white entered. Her sleep fogged eyes struggled to focus as the doctor sat on her bed. He wasn't a very tall man, he was under 5'10, but his eyes were kind under the glasses that covered them. She tried to focus on his voice when he started to talk. "I'm Dr. Banner, Bruce Banner."

Instantly, she was alert, "_The _Dr. Bruce Banner?"

He chuckled, "Yeah, but please don't focus on that. I need to know your name. Steve mentioned something about Serene or Serena but then again he was muttering something about Peggy, So?"

She looked up at him in wonder, head reeling as she realized that he was talking about Captain America. "Wait, why am I here? Why am I talking to you off all people? An avenger? Also, I thought you were a different type of doctor."

Again he chuckled, she looked at him questioning, "Well they, the regular doctors, thought that you might not remember anything since you have been out for a few days and you saw me and Steve and the others before you blacked out. And you are here because-" He returned her stare, wondering what he should tell her, "Because this was closest and you needed medical attention."

She blinked slowly taking it all in as her mind raced to keep up. The doctor repeated his first question and dutifully she answered. "I'm Serena. My grandma's Peggy, Peggy Carter." At Dr. Banner's look of surprise, she questioned, "Does that mean anything to you?"

He shook his head, "It just means something to the Captain. What's your age?"

Serena looked up at him, "Nineteen." Again Dr. Banner looked surprised. "How old did you think I was?" She tilted her head to the side raising her eyebrows.

"Well with the destruction you caused at least 25 if not more." She blushed deep red and he quickly added, "But that helped a lot, don't worry." She smiled weakly but still looked very worried. "Oh, I thought you would like these." He reached into his pocket and pulled out her two fans. Her smile grew as she held them carefully in her hands. He watched her face intrigued as she opened the fans. She drew her fingers over the black smudges of alien blood and the red splotches of her blood. She looked up suddenly remembering.

"Before I blacked out, I threw a fan at someone," She shut her eyes, trying to see who it was.

"Ah, yes Natasha. Don't worry about her, she dodged it." He patted her leg awkwardly. "It's good that you remember that. Means you won't stay here as long." He stood up, looking at his watch, "For right now though, here are some real clothes to wear to your real doctor's appointment." He put them on the edge of the side table.

He helped her slowly swung her legs over so her feet rested on the floor. For the first time she noticed what she was wearing. A too big tee-shirt reached almost to her knees. She was surprised when she realized that the Avengers were lined up across her chest and belly. She blushed and looked up at Dr. Banner. "Ah," He said, hesitantly before laughing, "Yeah, it was the only thing we could find. Don't worry, Natasha helped you into it." He lifted his hand and waved before walking out of the room.

She tentatively placed her sore feet on the ground and pushed up from the bed. Wincing, she grabbed the clothes from the table and sat to pull on the jeans. She groaned and reached down towards the floor to curl the hems up. She yelped in pain as her back alight in what felt like fire. A throaty laugh startled her. Looking towards the door, she noticed a woman who was standing in the threshold.

"I wouldn't bend over for a while," the woman commented coming in and kneeling at Serena's feet, helping her roll the hems up. Amazed, Serena just looked at her. She recognized the woman as the one Dr. Banner so casually called Natasha, but who was commonly referred to as The Black Widow by regular folk. Serena gave a small smile and whispered her thanks as she wrapped a blanked over her top so she could put on the tank top that had been in the pile of clothes. Natasha gave the girl a warming smile and helped her to her feet. Serena moaned in pain as she frantically grabbed for the jeans that had started to slip down her hips.

Natasha stepped back letting the girl stand on her own, as the older woman pulled off the tie that held her coat snug around her waist. "Here use this. Boy, are you tiny." After some struggles with socks and shoes, Serena and Natasha were ready to leave.

"Miss Romanov?" Serena questioned as they walked slowly to the elevator.

"Yeah," Natasha looked at the shorter girl walking besides her. Pain filled Serena's eyes at each step, but she never faltered.

"Why are you helping me?" She looked up into the other woman's eyes, "I mean- all the other people who were injured were looked after by regular hospitals but this," she gestured around her. "This I recognize as Stark Tower. I shouldn't be here. I barely helped." Her deep, dark eyes were somewhat disturbing as Natasha learned how much the nineteen year old had figured out after being up for about 30 minutes. Not sure how to answer, Natasha broke her gaze away and focused on the floor.

"How did you know it was Stark Tower?" She finally asked.

Serena just laughed, "Mr. Stark wasn't exactly quiet about what his tower looks like, and there are these everywhere." She was pointing at the Stark Industry symbol that was emblazed on the elevator door. Natasha laughed with Serena, shaking her head.

"Just wait until you see the vehicle we are taking to the hospital. Tony isn't exactly frugal."

**Do you think I got the characters right? Please review.**


	3. Doctor's Appt

**Okay, so I know that I said I would try to write a new chapter every week, ****_But_**** I got sick yesterday so I just started writing. This is a short filler chapter that I wanted to put in. The other chapters will be better ****_and_**** longer than this. So, enjoy! _(Also, I changed the first chapter a tinsy tiny bit, so you might want to go check it out!)__  
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"Serena, We're here," Natasha said, tapping on the sleeping girl's shoulder. Her eyelashes fluttered before showing the dark eyes of Serena.

"Wha-? Oh." She stretched only to freeze when pain laced up her back. Natasha laughed as Serena quickly pulled into a ball.

"It takes a while to remember your body is hurt, the surprise will go away soon." She slid out of the fancy sports car, "Come on, we're running late."

She rushed up the stairs to the building, striding away. Serena groan and pulled herself up, making sure the too big jeans were still tucked up where she would trip and followed Natasha. It was only when Natasha reached the door and held it open, that she realized that Serena was still at the bottom of the stairs. "Come on, girl. We're going to be late."

A nurse looked up from the desk and walked over to Natasha, "Natasha, what a nice surprise. I thought it would be Mr. Rogers with her today."

"Oh, hi, Cindy. Nope, Steve got caught up in some meeting, I got stuck with the appointment." The nurse looked out of the door and saw Serena struggling up the stairs.

"Natasha! Go down and help her. She looks small enough to carry up the stairs! Mr. Rogers would have put her in a wheelchair! Oh Lord, Natasha, go, go, go!"

"I didn't even think of that," Natasha murmured as she flew down the stairs. When she made it to the end of the stairs with Serena in her arms, Natasha sighed. "I can't believe Bruce didn't even think of that. I mean, I know that it isn't surprising that I forgot. But still…"

The nurse just tsked and pushed the wheelchair forward. "She isn't like you, Natasha; she's probably new to this pain." Turning to look down at Serena, she smiled gently, "Hello dearie, I hope that Bruce and Natasha weren't that hard on you. Now let's go check your feet."

**I thought it fit Natasha's character to forget that others aren't as strong as her. What do you think?**


	4. Back to Normal

**Okay, so this chapter is another filler chapter. I wish I could skip it but you need to meet Serena more. I have a perfect image in my head of who she is, but you don't! So here it goes:**

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Three weeks passed before Serena was able to walk without wincing. The doctor had said that she miraculously only had a concussion. She had gone back to her apartment after two weeks in the white room, and she wasn't planning on seeing the Avengers ever again. Dr. Banner had only visited her twice in the weeks, and that was only because she was awake for more than a half hour. They had just talked about how she was feeling mostly. She wasn't sure how many times the Nurse Cindy had come but it was often. Food had just shown up at mealtimes, probably someone brought it down while she was sleeping. So, she was well rested by the time she got back to her apartment.

On the first day she could bend over and touch her toes, she returned to her normal schedule, well as close as she could get; her college had been smashed during the Avengers' fight, so instead she started some online classes. She also forced herself to be active. And that was what she found herself doing on the first Friday back:

"First Position, and now, second. Third and fourth. Maria, fix your feet!" She was teaching her five and six year old ballerinas from a wheel chair. The nurse, Cindy, had been very strict on what she could and couldn't do. As the weeks passed and the bruises and scrapes healed, it was easy to forget about the Avengers and her fight with the aliens. She was busy with teaching every Wednesday and Friday, along with going to see Cindy for doctor appointments and physical therapy.

Three months passed before she started to dance with her ballerinas again. "And one, two, three, four. CeeCee, keep your arms up. Seven, eight. One, two, three…" By the end of the hour lesson she was feeling tired. "Okay, good job, ladies! Hey CeeCee do you have the music?" Every lesson she had a child bring in one of their favorite songs and the next week she would dance to it for them. She watched as the little girl ran to her ballet bag to grab an ipod. "This is Mom's. She said you would be able to take the songs off of it." Serena smiled down at the little girl as she exchanged the songs.

"Okay, ladies you can leave now." As soon as the girls were out of the door, Serena dropped to the floor, thinking that she had returned to her ballet shoes a little early.

She woke three hours later, when a janitor shook her roughly awake. Mortified, Serena quickly packed up and left.

The next week, she was feeling better and more awake. It was Wednesday and she had the first lesson of the week with her ballerinas. By the end of the lesson, even after dancing to CeeCee's song, she was still ready from more physical exercise. That's why she stayed to work on the next dance for the girls.

She smiled as the song came on. It was "This is where I belong" From Spirit. She walked to the center of the room before going up onto her toes. For her students, she did a combo of dances, showing them that once you learn one type of dance, the others come easier. As she danced to the same song over and over again, she thought about what the song meant to her. On this floor, she could forget about the problems in college, with her grandmother, with her past, and with the Avengers. She could just be who she was deep down. This is where _she_ belonged. This meditative way of thinking, cleared her mind, and she danced to the best of her ability, lost in her own world.

That was why she fell down on her rump, when someone started to clap as the song finished. "That was amazing. I didn't know you could dance like that!"

"Oh, sorry!" a worried Dr. Banner said as he went to help her to her feet. "I thought you knew that I was here."

She looked at him with wide eyes, not sure what to say. "You didn't? Damn, someone was supposed to tell you." She just looked at him. He stepped back returning the gaze before nervously stepping back and playing with a pen in his pocket.

She shook her head before saying, "It's fine, Dr. Banner. Just, why are you here? How did you know I was _here_?"

"I asked the doctor for your mailing address, and your landlord told me where you would be."

She nodded cautiously, uncertain as to what to do, so she walked to the ballet barre to pick up her bag and grab her regular shoes. As she slipped out of her ballet shoes, Dr. Banner spoke up again, "Well, since you didn't know that I was supposed to be here, are you free this afternoon?"

She looked up sharply, "Why?"

"Because the Avengers want to talk."

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**Ooooo! A cliffhanger! If you have any questions about Serena please ask them in your review!**

**For those who are confused about the timeline, I always imagine that the Avengers big fight in New York was in April/May. It is now about September/October. Ha! How fitting, right?**


	5. The offer

**Finally, something is happening! I've been working on later scenes so much, I had to come back and write a chapter before we can get there. So without farther ado: the story!**

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Serena sat still in the fancy black Audi as the silent driver drove towards Stark Tower. Dr. Banner was also still on the seat next to him. She tried not to fidget. What did the Avengers want? It had been months since she had left the Tower. When the driver turned a corner and it was easy to see the Tower, she was surprised to see that the Stark sign, had changed to just an A. She turned questioning to Dr. Banner. "What does the 'A' stand for?" she asked, breaking the silence for the first time.

Dr. Banner followed her gaze, "Ah, Avengers. The tower has changed to be called the Avengers Tower. Though Tony wasn't happy about it originally, he's gotten used to it. All the Avengers live there now, when they aren't on missions or up in their realm in the sky." He looked at her curiously, "Don't you read the tabloids? It all over."

She rolled her eyes. "I don't have time for that. Anyhow I really could care less about celebrities who mess up their lives with drugs and other things." She watched as they pulled up to the front of the tower and a garage opened up. They went down a ramp into a parking area full of expensive cars and a motorcycle. She just sat there staring, not realizing that Dr. Banner had gotten out of the car.

"Come on, Serena. We are already running late." Hurriedly, she slipped out of the car. Serena followed Dr. Banner to the fancy elevator. It looked somewhat familiar, but not much. She had been in great pain the last time she had come down it. When they reached one of the middle floors, the elevator door dinged open. Instantly, everybody in the room turned to look at her.

Blushing at all the attention, she scanned the room. It looked comfortable and cozy. Big couches were in the center of the room, circled around a small coffee table. The windows were a, floor to ceiling and let in all the light that was ever needed.

A door lead into another room, but her attention was taken before she could look into it. "Serena! You're late! But how wonderful that you could join us." The man, Tony Stark, who was in the center of the room said, opening his arms, in a welcoming gesture. She just looked at him.

Dr. Banner padded in behind her. "Who was supposed to tell Serena that we would pick her up today?" Everyone turned to Tony Stark. He looked flustered and said, "It was Steve! It was totally someone else!"

Natasha Romanov stood up from her place on the couch laughing, "Admit that you failed, Tony, or no one will speak to you again."

Tony Stark frowned and pouted like a little kid, "Fine, I messed up." He stomped back over to the couch and flopped down.

Serena watched the bickering of the adults with wide eyes. T seemed to forget her as they teased one of the most powerful men in the world. It was amazing how at home they seemed to feel with each other, like they were family. She hesitated before for saying, "Excuse me, but why I am here?"

They all turned to her, surprised. The man called Hawkeye by the tabloids, Clint Barton, spoke up. "Right, Tony was supposed to tell you that." A death stare from the mentioned man shut Clint Barton up.

A cool voice behind Serena said, "You are here because you showed an amazing amount of strength and courage in a fight. You were also able to survive and fight through pain."

"Not to mention," Tony Stark cut in, "You almost made Captain America faint."

Serena turned back to the couches, raising her eyebrows. Natasha explained, "Your shoes, in the necks of the aliens, kinda grossed him out." Serena looked at the man who her grandmother had loved. He looked exactly like the picture that she had of him, only in color and his face was bright red. He was looking down at his hands, fumbling with a pen.

"Anyhow, we called you here to ask you to…" Fury hesitated, not sure how to continue. He scanned the room looking for help. Seeing none, he continued " to ask you if you would join our campaign."

She blinked once, shook her head and looked at him. "Sorry?" She furrowed her brow. "Why? I mean- why me? There must be thousands of agents you have at your fingertips. I'm just a girl from the city, who had a run in with some nasties. The only reason I can think why you would want me, is because I'm related to an Avenger" Seeing their surprise, she quickly back tracked. "Well kinda of. My grandmother is Peggy Carter, the only known love of Captain America." She was surprised at the flash of darkness in Fury's eye when she mentioned Peggy's name while Steve's eyes brighten in interest.

"If you haven't noticed, the Avengers are famous for their interesting weapons. Your fans are as exotic as Barton's arrows and Rogers' shield. Also, we can't use our agents; we need a new face, one that looks innocent. If the new Avenger comes from SHEILD then we will have a ton of medias saying that they will follow SHEILD not the Avengers in their duty for the people of the world."

A new person entered the room, the woman called Pepper, Tony's lover. "Fury, you're scaring the girl. You shouldn't have started without me. Seriously, the only person who knew how to talk to regular people was Phil" She walked towards the girl in the center of the room. "Serena. Hello! It is a pleasure to meet you. I have heard a lot about your battle and the weeks that you were here." Pepper kept on walking after she patted the girl on her shoulder. She pushed Tony over and sat down. "Sit up," she reprimanded, and Tony, grumbling, obeyed. She turned her attention back to Serena. "Sit down, please. Do you want anything to drink or eat?"

Serena hesitantly sat down and shook her head. Pepper continued, "As Fury tried to say, the Avengers need a new innocent face. Our Avengers are all guilty of crimes, and the tabloids have eaten these up and spit them out.

Serena looked at her incredulously, "So you want me to be new meat for the media?"

Pepper winced. "When you say it that way it sounds awful. So yes but no. We need a new avenger and right now you are the best choice. If we use a SHEILD agent, we fear they will get blamed for every mistake that SHIELD has made. But if we have a new fresh face, we can keep up an image and not have to deal with a lot of media." Pepper smiled. "We have checked you out and the only thing that we think could be used against you is your gran-" she abruptly cut off and Serena caught the tail end of a glare from Fury. "Well, if you agree to join us, I can deal with the media."

Serena looked at her hands wondering what her one mistake was. Her head was racing. She could join the Avengers, how many girls had hoped for this opportunity. It wasn't like she asked for it. Should she take the chance? "What would I do?"

They sat there for a while before; finally, Steve Rogers broke the silence. "You would accompany us on missions. There is always dangerous machinery that goes wrong with scientists, that we get stuck with taking care of." He smiled gently, "We also go to meetings or peace treaties that may get dangerous. But mostly we just sit around doing nothing, just being a symbol and a warning."

Dr. Banner spoke up from next to her, "Tony and I work on weapons and other electronics, so if you have a knack for that, you can help." Serena just shook her head.

"And there is training and practice missions," Natasha added.

"Also, benefits and other public things." Clint said.

Serena nodded, thinking. "Umm… can I have time to think about it? Or do I have to decide right now."

They all looked surprised, like it hadn't even crossed their minds that she might refuse. She found herself floundering and talking rapidly trying to explain herself. "This would completely change my life. I probably wouldn't be able to teach my dance class and college would be hard to go to."

Pepper stood up and crossed the room to sit next to Serena. She placed her hand on the girl's shoulder as she began to talk, "You're right about all of that. You would come live here. Your life would become complicated. But this would be exciting. I did a background check on you and I think you are the best candidate. You have charm, innocence, and a knack for getting your way. And I think you will fit right in." Pepper looked around the room. "We would love to have you join. But we can wait for your answer." The others were nodding.

"Thanks," Serena said. "Just give me a day or two."

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**Okay, whatcha think? I'll go more into what Pepper said about the media and Serena in later chapters. And Peggy will show up too. I haven't decided if she is still alive yet, but she will be mentioned. **

**Because I still love this story, I am trying to write as many chapters as I can. So this week there may be several updates.**


	6. Yes!

**So as I said, here is another update! It's a little short but in like a half hour, there will be another chapter up!**

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She watched as her hand reach out to open the door to the Avengers Tower. Pushing it open, Serena took a deep breath and headed for the front desk. Ever since the Avengers had moved in, the ground level of the tower had become a public office. SHIELD and Pepper used the offices for visits and meetings that were needed to be held in New York. Pepper had said if she wanted the spot in the Avengers, Serena just had to ask for Pepper.

"I need to talk to Miss Potts," Serena said to the lady behind the counter.

"And you are?"

"Oh sorry, Serena, Serena Carter."

"Okay, Miss Carter, I already have instructions for you to be let in. Go down the hall to the elevator and tap this card where it says."

Following the instructions, Serena was surprised to see that the tower had two elevators. This one was different from the elevator that she had used when she was here last. Instead of buttons, it had a place to swipe a card. The elevator jerked violently when she swiped hers. Grabbing onto the railing, Serena felt the contraption move up and then fly sideways. She held on terrified as it kept on changing directions. It was impossible to figure where she was in the tower.

When the door opened, she stumbled out of it, feeling a bit sick from the wild ride. From her desk, Pepper looked up. "Serena! Hi. I'm so glad you came." She watched the girl and became worried when Serena stood there and then headed for the chair, walking in zig-zags. "Oh, that accursed elevator. Sorry about that. Tony put that in so if I cheated, they would be too dizzy to do anything in my office. I really need to have that fixed. Tony is just a little over protective." Pepper looked at the girl who was blinking fast, getting rid of the dizziness. "I hope you are here to accept the position in the Avengers." Pepper stated.

Serena stopped blinking and grinned. "I have."

Pepper looked relieved as she let her shoulders drop. "Good," She leaned forward across the desk, "Now, I will tell you a little secret, that Fury doesn't want you to know." She bit her lip before continuing, "The Avengers asked you to join. You weren't chosen for your weapons, although that helped Fury to accept you. No you were chosen because you showed power and control during the fight. We found a security video of a building nearby."

Pepper leaned back in her chair and typed a few things in. On the monitor on the edge of her desk, a grainy image showed the fight. Serena watched herself run down the alley, and the memory came back.

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**Next up is the memory. I thought it would be better to separate them.**

**I thought that the overprotective Tony was in character, sorry if you don't I just needed some humor since the next few chapters are kinda heavy. Please keep reading! I really hope that you like this story.**


	7. Fighting in Memory Lane

**Yay! I was able to finish this. I will return to 'now' time in the next chapter!**

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_She had been a party, trying to get money for a recital for her ballerinas. She had spent hours preparing for this day. She had been standing on the balcony, when the aliens had first attacked. Like everyone else, she screamed and started running for the doors. But then she stopped. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw that one of the aliens had a little boy in its arms. The boy was screaming, tears flowing down his face. Unable to do anything else, she ran for the stairs. _

_Ignoring the pains in her feet as she ran in her heels, Serena rushed down the stairs and onto the street. She scanned for the alien. There! Rushing to catch up, she followed the mental map of the streets in her head. Unless if the alien flew up higher, it would have to turn left up there into that park. Adrenaline pouring through her veins, she pushed on harder until she reached the park. _

_She slowed down and tried to quiet her breathing. She stepped forward and wobbled on her heels. She cursed herself silently. Why was she able to run down three streets in these shoes and then the moment she stepped onto grass was unsteady? Annoyed at taking the time to take them off, she hurried and almost fell. Suddenly, at that low level, she could see through a bush. _

_Three aliens were standing in a circle around the boy. They had sticks and were poking him repeatedly. His face was becoming bruised and even redder. Feeling her breath come harder with anger, Serena forced herself to calm down. "Think, Serena, think" she mumbled._

_A sudden cry from the boy caused her to focus in more. He was now holding his arm, which was pouring blood. Without thinking, Serena burst out from behind the bush. The one closest to her, turned and screeched in an alien language. Reacting immediately, she brought up her hand and brought the heels down on its head. With him stunned she had enough time to drop one of the heels and position the other, where a human jugular would be. After ramming it in, she pushed the alien away to face the others. _

_One of them had taken the boy and ran farther down the path, while the other was scrabbling on the dirt, looking for its weapon. Before he had time to find it, she had scooped up her shoe and jammed it in the alien's throat. She backed up from the body before racing after the last alien. _

_She felt sticks cut her feet and stones bruise them, but was unable to feel anything after the first bout of pain. She was frantically thinking of a weapon that she could use. She grabbed onto the strands of ribbons that encased her skirt. Finding just one, she yanked on it. It snapped out and she instantly had a weapon. _

_A rush of air passed her and she looked to the right and saw another alien. This one had a hover board kinda thing. Her reaction was instantaneous, somehow. She leaped towards the alien and wrapped the ribbon around its neck. Looking up she saw a tree branch that they were heading for. She braced herself for the impact. As soon as they hit, she jumped and passed over the branch. She grabbed the other part of the ribbon that had been left on the other side of the branch._

_She was now swinging from the branch, while the alien was hanging. She tied a knot and then dropped down to the ground. She did that technique on several other aliens before she ran out of ribbon. The last time she dropped to the ground, she rubbed her face. Blood covered her hands, when she pulled them away. _

_What to use now? She thought as she pounded towards the last place she had seen the boy. She ran her hands up and down her boy, searching for anything. She growled in frustration when her hand hit the strap of her purse. In the mad rush to find the boy, and then the terror of the fight, she had completely forgotten about it._

_She reached in and pulled out her fans. Her grandmother had taught her how to use them when she was nine. And ever since moving away from her grandmother, Serena had carried them everywhere she was allowed to. How could she have forgotten about them?_

_Snapping them open, she felt the calmness that always overcame her. Her grandmother's voice was in her head as she focused in on the alien holding the boy. "Pay attention; make sure that no one is sneaking up on you. Think about what you are about to do." Serena slowed down. What would make this easier? "Where are your legs, girl?" her grandmother's voice yelled in her head. Her legs, she needed more mobility. The dress was already ruined, so she had no qualms about cutting two long slices of her dress._

_She was amazed how much she was able to move, as she ran towards the alien. It looked a little frightened, and it jumped into the fountain behind it. It rushed towards the other side and hopped out. She swung her arm back and let go of her fan. It went spiraling through the air to dig into its neck. The alien dropped and Serena jumped into the fountain._

_She only noticed, after she was thoroughly soaked, that the alien had left the boy in the water. He was struggling to breathe as his broken arm gave way. Wading through the water, she kneeled down and grabbed onto his waist, ducking as a fist swung out to meet her head. "Hey, it's okay. Hush-hush," she whispered into his ear. The little boy fell into her arms sobbing. Feeling like crying herself, she stood and climbed out of the fountain. Finding the closest buildings door, she pushed it open._

_An alien had been following her, though. As soon as the door was open, it shoved her with its stick; she jumped and whirled wincing in pain when her foot hit the tough skin. It toppled and fell forward, giving Serena enough time to such the boy into the building and then run._

_She led the alien back towards the park, towards her fan, away from the boy. When she reached her fan, she wrenched it for the body and spun slicing the alien behind her._

_The rest of the fight was just a blur. She remembers killing one alien and then rounding on the next to have it fall down, along with all the other aliens around her. Other aliens fell from the sky and crashed into the trees around her._

_She was panting and exhausted. Suddenly, all the pain that she had pushed to the back of her brain, rushed forward. She must have fainted because the next thing she remembers was a shape moving towards her._

_Instantly she was on her feet, her fan flying towards it._

_"No! No! Stop! I'm human!" a female voice called out. Serena narrowed her eyes and saw that she was human. Serena let the last fan snap shut. _

_"Oh," she was going to say more, but her head started to go fuzzy and she struggled to stay up right._

_Arms wrapped around her and pulled her up off her feet. She was aware of voices but was having trouble understanding them. All she could feel was pain and blood rushing down her neck. She opened her eyes and they met bright blue ones that looked worried. They widened in surprise before the arms around her loosened, then tightened again._

_"Peggy?" she smiled weakly, used to people saying she looked like her grandma. She shook her head._

_"Serena. Grandma's Peggy," She slurred, before dropping into darkness._

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**By the way, those of you who are like, why didn't the aliens just use their gun thingys? Well I thought that they would like to feel powerful and since Serena was alone, young and in a dress, that they would like to torment her. What do you think? How did you like this chapter?**


	8. More Talking

**We are back in 'now' time. So enjoy!**

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Serena sat there so lost in her memories that it took her a while to realize that Pepper had said something.

"Sorry, what?" she shook her head.

"Like I said before, they were amazed by your strength and control. Your ability to push pain away during the fight; that is a power that is valuable to any Avenger. Also you showed compassion for someone you didn't even know. Not to mention, your amazing fighting skills. Where did you learn that?"

Serena flushed at the praise, "My grandmother. She thought that I should know how to defend myself. So as soon as I could walk, she taught me basic hand to hand combat skills. It got harder as I grew older and then she added in a knife and then a gun. I'm not that great with gun, but I know the basics. When I was nine, she let me choose an obscure weapon and I chose the fan. She taught me as much as she could from research, but her body was failing her. She found someone who was really good, I don't know how, and he taught me."

"I'm guessing this was Peggy Carter? Not your other grandmother."

"Yeah, I don't know my father or his family," she looked down at her lap, "I don't even know his name, Mom would never tell me. I don't think even Granny knows. That's why my last name is Carter, so was my mother's."

Pepper looked at her, narrowing her eyes. "Yes, I noticed that on your records, I couldn't find anything on your father or grandfather. Do you know anything about either?"

"All I really know is that my parents and grandparents never married. I don't know much more about my father. My mother shouldn't have been able to have me, she was past fifty. It was a surprise for Granny. My father learned she was pregnant and left. When I was three, my mother got sick and died. I lived with my grandma until I came here." Serena laughed, "But I guess you already knew that."

Pepper smiled, "Yep, but on a more serious note," Pepper's smile disappeared as she leaned forward. Her face was suddenly sad, "I know you probably love your grandmother. But I have to ask you not to talk about her around Steve. Fury deleted all her files from anywhere that Steve could get to. He thought that Steve would take it badly that she had a kid. And now that Steve knows, Fury doesn't want Steve spending all his time finding out information. I think that Fury doesn't know Steve that well, but I was told to tell you that."

Serena nodded slowly, "Okay, I won't talk."

They talked longer that day, barely mentioning her grandfather anymore, talking more about how her life would change when she was added to the Avengers. She would, unfortunately, have to let go of her students, the publicity would be too much for the five and six year olds. And while she wouldn't have to go to school, she would learn everything that she needed to know being in the Avengers for life, she was allowed to take her online classes. The thing that she was most excited to do was move into the Tower.

Pepper was going to send over people to help her pack that afternoon and as soon as she was ready, she could move in. As she bid goodbye to Pepper, Serena couldn't help but see the world in a better more colorful light.

* * *

**So, another short one, but I've been writing for a while. It may take a little longer to write the next chapters.**

**Also, there is only so much technical stuff I can get into before I get bored. Basically, by joining the Avengers, Serena is an Avenger for life, she doesn't know her father, and she doesn't like talking about her grandfather. I hate having the cliché no parents superhero but I thought it was important she grew up with Peggy. **

** If you have any questions, just ask, I will answer it in the next chapter.**


	9. Packing

**So… I've had this written in my horrible orange notebook for quite a while. But I have been putting off typing it because I was being lazy and I kinda have writer's block for the next chapter. So it may be a while before I update.**

When she got to her apartment that night, she was amazed to see that people were already there. As she got closer she realized that they were the Avengers. She slowed, not sure of what to say.

"Serena!" Tony Stark said. "Hey! Pepper told us to help you move!"

Captain Steve Rogers stepped forward. "We are so glad that you are joining us." He said, nodding curtly.

She smiled and pulled her keys out of her purse and started to unlock the key. A firm hand gripped her shoulder, "Just tell us what to do and we will follow your instruction." Dr. Banner whispered in her ear. She nodded slowly before opening the door.

She reached over and flipped the switch. Her lamps came on, showing of the small living room. Suddenly, Serena was embarrassed. She had always been a little girl, and her apartment was a direct reflection of that.

Light pink throw pillows were everywhere, coving the one cream colored couch, on the floor, on the rocking chair, and on the random chairs around the room. Matching curtains covered the windows and the lamps were covered in the same material. The light that came from the windows and lamps was warm and comforting.

Serena stood by the door awkwardly, letting the Avengers look at the room, until Natasha Romanoff and Clint Barton barged in with cardboard boxes. "Whoa, pink alert," Clint Barton said.

Serena turned the color of the room and looked down at her feet.

Natasha Romanoff shoved him, "To each their own," she said, although she looked a little sick.

"Okay, what should we do?"

"Most of the furniture is the building, except for that rocking chair, side table, and uhh that lamp and …. That one. Also, the desk and lamps in my room are mine." She pointed to the door directly to their left. "In the kitchen," She moved her arm so it pointed to the swinging door on the left. "Everything is mine, except for the major appliances. I will pack my clothes and trinkets, you guys can split the rest up?"

The Avenger nodded and went to work.

When Steve Rogers entered the kitchen, he was immediately disappointed. "This is so not a kitchen," he complained. "There isn't even an oven or stove." He frowned. The billionaire who had accompanied him, laughed, "There's a real kitchen back at the Tower, Cap. Just pack and you won't have to deal with this much more.

Natasha Romanoff and Clint Barton had started a pillow fight in the small living room while Thor and Dr. Banner were messing around with the lams and rocking chair.

Serena stood there listening and watching the adults around her. They seemed to work so well together, all just gliding like a smooth gear. There were obvious different groups of friends. Steve Rogers and Tony Stark, amazingly, were very close, easily joking together. Thor and Bruce were able to talk even with the demi-god's weird speech. The romantic tension between Natasha and Clint was obvious as she tackled him and hit him repeatedly over the head with a pillow.

Serena watched for a while longer, wondering where she would fit in in this weird relationship of super heroes. Then she remembered that she, too, had a job and disappeared into her room, where she escaped her bad thoughts about to fitting in.

An hour later, a knock on the door had Serena taking a much needed break. She was finishing up a box with picture frames and a lamp in it. Steve Rogers walked in with a box of dishes balanced easily on his arms. "We're starting to take loads down stairs. Do you have anything to add?"

She smiled and pointed, "Over there by the door, Mr. Rogers. Those are ready to go."

The big man frowned at the formal way she was talking to him. "Just call me Steve." He said as he lifted some of the heavier boxes up.

Serena flushed and nodded. She finished packing the box before following the Captain down the stairs. Turning the corner, she stopped and gapped at the vehicle in the small front parking lot.

IT looked like a regular car except for the wings and ramp. Tony Stark noticed her surprise. " What did you really think that we would lug all your stuff up the stairs? You are living very close to the top! NO, we will drive and then fly them up."

Noticing the smug look on the inventor's face, Serena asked, "Did you make this… uh… contraption, Mr. Stark?"

"Of course, I did." He smirked and then went to explain some technical aspect of the thing.

"Ignore the Man of Iron, Fangirl." Thor said crossing his arms looking at Tony.

Serena looked up at him in surprise. "Fangirl?" she asked incredulously.

Fangirl. You fight with fan, Man of Iron fights in iron."

She nodded, her brow still furrowed in confusion.

"Wow, you already got a nickname. That was fast." The soft voice of Dr. Banner said behind her. "All though it makes you sound like a twittering admirer, it's better than mine."

Serena turned to look at him.

"Little one," he explained.

She giggled, looking at Thor. "I guess you would be small compared to him, Dr. Banner, but not that much smaller. Not like me."

He laughed "Well when the other guy gets out, I'm much bigger than him. And then I'm "Big Green One," He turned to leave up the stairs. He glanced over his shoulder, "And Serena, its Bruce."

Serena nodded. There were now two famous people who wanted her to call them by their first names. The only one who hadn't said a thing when she had been formal had been Tony Stark, and she guessed that he liked it

As the others took more boxes down, Serena started to look through the tiny apartment for memories and forgotten places. She opened the closet only to closet quickly and back away, hands to her mouth.

A second later, the door opened again and a flushed Clint and Natasha stumbled out. Serena stared openly at them. Breathing heavily, Clint stepped towards her. "Never (huff-huff) ever tell anyone (huff-huff) about that (huff-huff)."

She nodded, wide eyed. Natasha rolled her eyes and grabbed her lover's hand, "Its okay, Serena. It's just we haven't gone -uhh public yet. Just please, don't tell Tony."

"Don't tell Tony what?" an amused Tony Stark said entering the apartment. Instantly Clint and Natasha jumped apart. "Uhh," they said together, looking widely around for something to blame.

Serena stepped in, seeing that the lovers were going to go nowhere, "Well, if we wanted you to know, then we would have told you," she smirked and then sashayed into the kitchen.

The three adults started at the door she had just entered. There was no telling who was more surprised.

"Well apparently, the shy little thing can be sassy." Tony remarked.

Natasha laughed, "Maybe she'll out do you."

"Maybe, but that's unlikely."

* * *

**Okay, I'll admit, I am a bit girlish myself. My favorite color is defiantly a light pink. I'm not embarrassed at all! **


	10. The Tower

**Okay before you start reading: a shout out to everyone who has reviewed! If you write, then you know how comforting it is to hear from readers. Also thanks to everyone who is following this story and favorite this story!**

**Another Author's note: In this chapter is a little bit of swearing. I thought it would enhance the situation. But a warning. I do not usually swear, so it might be a little forced. Please tell me if the swearing doesn't help the story at all and I will just stop! Please give me feedback. **

* * *

When Serena woke up the next morning, she didn't know where she was. The silver chrome room around her was entirely unfamiliar. She sat up fast, terrified and then remembered that her life had been turned upside down. She was just in the Avengers tower, the place where she now lived.

She rubbed her face before getting out of the big bed. She had been surprised at her room when she saw it. And still was. She had a whole floor herself. A bedroom, a huge bathroom, and a living area. The kitchen, main dining room, and the common rooms were a few floors down and were considered a place to go for company, or so she had learned last night.

She stretched and padded over to the box that held her clothes. Fishing out a pair of jeans and plain t-shirt, she thought about the day. They, the Avengers, had said that they would give her a few days to settle in before they took her to the SHIELD offices and trainings. So today she was planning on unpacking.

Stumbling into the bathroom, she sighed as she felt that the tiles on the floor were heated. She turned on the shower turning the heat to the highest. Stepping into the water, she yelped and jumped back. That was HOT! Her old shower had to run for a while before it became remotely warm. Cursing her stupidity, she reached around the stream of boiling water, she let it run colder. Throughout her morning routine, she had to keep on reminding her that she was living in a rich man's house.

Later, she was sitting on her bed wondering how to go down to the common area. She was a very shy person, really. She always tried to portray confidence when she was around people, but she was definitely the person who freaked out right before going to a social situation.

Thankfully she didn't have to decide when to go down. She heard the elevator ping outside before a swift knock sounded.

"Come in," she called.

Steve and Bruce entered, "Good morning, Serena," Steve said. She looked at him quizzically, he was in his Captain America suit.

"Good morning, Captain." She nodded.

"Uh, yeah." He looked down, seemingly not wanting to say whatever he had to. Bruce stepped forward.

"There is apparently a problem that the Avengers have to deal with in California." He looked at Steve.

"Right, and so now you have a choice: you can stay here, and settle in or you can come with us." Steve said.

Bruce added, "But you haven't trained with us, you don't have a fight suit, or any electronic things like we, and even if you did, you wouldn't be able to work it. And mostly, we have said anything to the public about a new Avenger. So we would rather that you stay here. It wasn't the plan but…"

They both looked awkwardly at her, while she thought. "I agree that I should sit this one out. But thanks for letting me choose." She smiled and slid of the bed. They went down to the main floor where it was chaos.

Clint and Natasha were alternating between watching the California news and talking to Fury who was on a projected screen. Thor was also talking while stuffing himself with breakfast items. A heavy sound was the result of Tony lugging a suitcase that was completely metal out of the elevator. Pepper was following close behind him, talking on a cell phone. "Yes, ma'am, Mr. Stark is devastated that he will have to miss your party. Uh, no ma'am, the other Avengers are busy." She saw Serena and mouth "Good morning, one sec."

"Whose party do we get to miss this time?" Bruce asked, happily.

Tony shook his head and shrugged his shoulders "Probably the old lady's that is in love with all of us."

The avengers sighed, all visibly relived in missing yet another party.

Pepper ended the call, "Okay folks! You can go now, all your public appearances are taken care of." She smiled and turned to Serena. "Later today, come on down to my office. I have your electronics that SHIELD and Tony have required you to have. I was hoping that Tony would help but-" Her voice faded as Tony came up behind her and hugged her.

"I'll be back before you know it," He said, burying his face in her neck.

"Uggh," Clint retched. "Please! No PDA! You two act like teenagers!" Clint looked at Serena, "No offense though."

She smiled, "None taken."

"Hey, Clint!" Tony called. They all turned to look as Tony spun Pepper around only to cover her in passionate kisses.

"Ahh! My eyes! I will never unsee that!" Clint screamed running from the room.

The Avengers all laughed as they followed Clint towards the elevator.

They stepped out on to the very top of the building. Looking down, Serena could see the huge balcony a few floors down. A loud buzzing noise proved to be the floor opening up. A quinjet rose out of the hole in the roof. Steve jumped in and the rest followed after Tony had kissed Pepper goodbye. Before she knew it, Pepper and Serena were the only ones on the roof.

"Well, I got to go back to my job and find time in their schedules for the things they are going to miss this week. Come down when you find time, but just give me a while." She waved and the elevator door shut and started to beep down each floor.

Serena spent the next two days unpacking and finding her way about the tower. On the first day, she had beeped down every floor trying to find Pepper's office. Then, after getting equipped with an ear communication piece, a new cell phone, and a laptop, she had stopped at every floor trying to find her floor. The second day, she did the same thing to find the kitchen. After that, she spent two whole hours figuring out the use of each floor.

She was in the kitchen making something to eat for lunch on the third day alone when her cell phone started to go off. Seeing that it was Tony, she answered it and then placed it on the counter like Pepper had taught her.

Instantly, a screen popped up projecting the face of all the Avengers.

"Hi! We're heading towards the tower now; we should be there in an hour or two. Just thought that you would like to know, just in case you threw a party and now have only a little bit of time to clean up." Tony grinned at her.

She laughed and shook her head. She opened her mouth to reply but a crisp, if somewhat robotic, British voice said, "Miss Carter, the water you have on the stove is boiling, would you like me to do something about it?"

She screamed and jumped, dropping the glass in her hand. As the glass shattered, she whirled around, grabbing the knife that had been on the table. There was nobody there. She turned back to the phone screen and saw that the Avengers were laughing at her.

"I thought you said nobody but Pepper would be allowed up here. And that sure as hell was _not_ Pepper." She glared at the screen.

"I'm sorry Miss Carter; I thought that Mr. Stark had told you about me." There that voice was again. She grabbed a sharper knife and spun again, eyes taking in everything as once again she found that there was no one.

"Okay, this is so not funny. Who the hell are you and where the hell are you?" she yelled.

Tony was still cackling when he answered her, "Relax, that's just JARVIS."

"And JARVIS is…?"

"He's a computer that is in charge of my house." He went on to explain more about his computer, JARVIS kept on interrupting him to put in finer details. Slowly, Serena relaxed enough to put the knife down.

"Next time you leave someone alone in your house, tell them about your computer that talks. I bet he could have helped me the multiple times I got lost in this tower."

The Avengers laughed at her again, before ending the call.

A rough hand shook her awake. Serena sat up quickly; she must have drifted off while waiting for the Avengers to return. She had a crick in her neck from lying on the couch. She opened her eyes to see the Avengers, all looking exhausted and a little beat up looking at her. She smiled, "Welcome back!"

Bruce smiled, "Have a good nap?"

She grinned and nodded.

"Good, cuz we are all going to clean up and sleep and tomorrow morning you have your first training session." Clint mumbled.

"Great," she said, suddenly full of energy. "Well, good night!"

* * *

**Ooh! Training in the next chapter! Can't wait! Too bad I still have to write it, no double updates tonight!**

**Okay, I thought most of you, since you are reading this, know about JARVIS, that's why I didn't really explain him that much. Well that and anything technical I try to explain comes out sounding really, really boring.**


	11. Training

**Gosh! This one was hard to write. I started it and scrapped it several times during this week.**

* * *

"Okay, okay. I surrender," Serena panted. Instantly the pressure that had her pushed up against the floor let up and she could move freely again. A only slightly out of breath Natasha reached down to help the girl off the ground. She winced as she felt the places that would surely bruise protest. Serena had only been down in the gym for fifteen minutes but she had already lost five matches against Natasha.

"You're doing better than I thought you would. Natasha is the best hand to hand fighter ever!" Clint said. "Each fight is getting harder for her to win."

Natasha made a face at him before saying, "He is right. Your grandma taught you well." She handed Serena and Clint a knife, "Let's practice with these."

She had a breath of time to look at the knife before she had to ward off the attack from Clint. Not much time passed before her dagger went flying and Clint had her in a death grip.

"So, not so much into knives, huh?" he asked. "That was too easy."

She smiled, "Let's try that again, only with my fans." She opened her practice fans and Clint was rushing towards her. She twisted her wrists, bringing the fans to cover her chest. Clint's knife bounced off the metal ribs and she lunged forward. One of her fans snapped shut before smacking his wrist. Automatically, his hand flew open and his knife dropped before being kicked away by Serena.

He looked at his hand to the dagger in surprise. She stepped forward ready to end the fight, but Clint had other ideas. He reached forward, grabbing onto her wrists. He yanked and flipped her into the air. Instantly she tucked and shoved her right fan under her arm. She hit the floor, palm first to relieve some of the impact.

Clint pulled a dagger out of his boot and descended on her. She popped up to her feet, letting her foot swing to catch Clint by his knees. He started to topple and, knowing that he wouldn't balance, forced his weight to go into her. They both went down, Serena twisting to end up on top.

She scrabbled to find her fan that had went flying with her, and placed it's (rubber) blades on his neck. In return he brought his fake blade up to her neck. She smiled sweetly before bringing her other hand up and knocking his dagger away.

He sighed and admitted his defeat and she crawled off of him. " I thought that was going to be easy," he said shaking his head.

"It was," Serena laughed.

Clint pouted while Natasha joined in the laughter. "Oh Honey, you just have to get better," Natasha said in a baby voice.

He sulked and walked over to her, "At least be sympathetic, Babe." Leaning in to kiss her cheek.

Natasha flushed and looked at Serena, who was suddenly very entranced with the black design less floor. "Clint," Natasha whined, giggling, she patted his hand, which was on her shoulder. "Not here."

He wrapped his arm around her and gave her a crushing hug, ignoring her protests. She ducked under his arm, not a second before the elevator opened to reveal Tony. He looked around the room at their red faces, noticing that no one was meeting his eyes.

"Why do you guys look guilty?" Tony Smirked.

They all mumbled contradicting excuses and were glad when the elevator pinged open again to show Steve and Bruce.

"Good morning," was Steve's automatic greeting. A chorus of replies echoed this.

"Thor had to return to Asgard today, seems like they are having trouble with Loki," Bruce explained. "So we need to get Serena up to fighting with us, or we might be easily defeated."

They all nodded, "She's decent with hand to hand combat, not that great with a knife, but with her fans she is amazing." Natasha said, in a business-like voice. Clint nodded consent.

"Good, how is she with a gun?" Steve asked.

The two spies shrugged, "We didn't get to that yet."

Serena frowned; she didn't like how they were talking like she wasn't there. When they all started heading for the other gym, she forced herself to follow without complaint.

"Here," Steve said, forcing a small gun into her hands. "Aim at those targets." He pointed across the gym were several regular targets and human like targets were lined up against the wall.

She checked that the gun was loaded before aiming and firing. Several minutes later, the wall was full of holes. Her aim was okay; she hit the target three out of five times. While not deadly, she would be harmful.

"Okay let's try with a moving target." Tony said clapping his hands. "JARVIS, you know the drill."

A blue figure suddenly appeared in the room. It was human-like and the veins and organs were easily seen.

"Just shot at it and it will show the wounds." Tony explained.

She loaded the gun and started to aim. But before she could pull the trigger, the figure started to move. She changed her aim and fired. The bullet went through the projection's arm as it moved out of the way. The veins on the arm burst and drops of the blue blood covered the floor. The figure started to move like it was injured and it was easy for her to shoot it down.

As soon as the first one fell a second blue form appeared. They kept on coming until she had killed several. She lowered the gun and the lifeless forms disappeared.

"Great, you're not too bad. We will keep working on it." Bruce said. "We're done for today, why don't you go shower off. We will be in the common area when you're done."

She nodded and left the gym.

After the hot shower, she felt the soreness coming on. She padded into the common area to hear the Avengers having a heated conversation in the other room on that floor.

"-'s too risky, he might not accept her now." That was Bruce.

"But if we don't do it now, what will happen?" asked Natasha, "He might attack her during a fight."

"And if we do it now, then he will injure or kill her." Bruce said.

"What if we don't get around to it before the first battle? Huh, what if he kills her then?" Clint argued. "That will be public. At least if we do it somewhere safer, it won't be public. In a fight, if he attacks, we may not be able to get to her in time."

"He isn't a monster, he never attacks any of us," Tony interjected.

"That's because we know him, and have fought with him." Natasha stated

"Not that first time, he attacked Natasha and Thor." Tony said.

"He just needs me to get to know people before he doesn't attack. I just need time." Bruce sighed. "If we do it now, there is no telling what will happen."

"Okay," Steve commanded, "you're all right. We have to do it some time. Let's just wait until Bruce thinks it's safe. And if the first battle comes before then, we will just make sure to keep them apart."

There were some grumbles but everyone seemed to respect Steve's opinion. She stood outside the door, thinking. Who did they want her to meet? Why would it be dangerous?

* * *

**And I think that is a good place to stop. **

**Now some confession time, I don't know much about guns and the only gun I have ever shot was a Springfield Model 1861. Yep that's right, that gun was a reproduction of a gun used during the Civil war. So guns will be kinda vague. **

**Also I need help. If you can think of the way her fight suit looks(I hesitate to say costume), then please tell me. Right now her fight suit is just a black cat suit like Natasha's. Also I need name ideas. fan girl is the best one I have so far.**


	12. Bad News

**Sorry this is late, my final/midterms were last week for my school, not to mention that this weekend my grandparents visited so it took a while to type this up, although I had it mostly written. More will come soon!**

She hesitated in the door way before walking in. Clint and Natasha were glaring at the couch in front of them where Bruce and Tony sat. Bruce's eyes were closed and he was breathing with a forced calm, while Steve was pacing before them. Tony was slouching in his feet propped up on the coffee table between the couches.

The common area spanned across three floors, all connected with the elevator shaft and two staircases. On the floor they were on, there were only two rooms. The other room was a movie room. It was basically a theatre, only with couches and easy chairs instead of flip seats.

This room was more like the first room she had ever seen in the Tower, when she was not in pain. The floor to ceiling windows were present on every floor she had been on and this room was no different. A semi-circle of couches surrounded a low table. It was a comfortable kind of place, a room for a family really.

It took a while for the Avengers to notice her. When they did, immediately the angry tension changed to nervous. Steve stopped pacing to awkwardly perch on the arm next to Bruce. Natasha's and Clint's face relaxed. Tony seemed to sink more into the couch. Only Bruce didn't respond, his eyes were still shut tight.

She stood awkwardly waiting for someone to say something, anything

Bruce let out a final breath before opening his eyes. When he saw Serena, he smiled, "Hello, we were just waiting for you. What would you like for lunch?"

She thought for a moment, she could probably request anything and get it. What she really wanted was to know what they had been talking about, but that wasn't an option, so she shrugged. Let them believe that that she hadn't eavesdropped.

"Come on guys, let's go make lunch." Bruce groaned, standing up.

Immediately Tony and Clint groaned and both started to sink into the couches, complaining about helping. Steve nodded and helped Natasha drag Clint and Tony out of the couches.

Up in the kitchen, Bruce started to pull out fruits and veggies. Turning around, he frowned at Clint who was stuffing his face with a stash of candy. Clint grinned and made a point of dumping more candy in his mouth. Bruce opened his mouth to reprimand but before he could, the door slammed open and Thor barged in.

"Friends, I come with bad news." He frowned. A sizzling sound filled the sudden quiet kitchen; Bruce had turned on the stove and begun to cook some foreign looking food. Thor brightened at the smell, "But first food!"

All of the Avengers laughed, knowing of Thor's fondness for human food. Bruce turned back to the food and cooked until it seemed that they could taste the air. Seeing that no one else was helping, like usual, Steve grabbed plates and silverware for the cupboards, and placed them next to Bruce.

Slowly, they started to sit down at the kitchen table, each with varying amounts of food before them. "Thor, tell us of your news," Steve said.

Thor swallowed the huge gulp of food he had just placed in his mouth. "That I will, my friend." He looked down sadly at the food left on his plate before seeming to decide that the news was more important. "My brother has escaped the tight hold on him. We do not know how, but we know he did have help. But he does not have his scepter; we have it placed in a secure facility."

Tony barged in, "I thought you had him in a secure facility!"

"We did!" Thor thundered. " But his scepter is even more protected now. And it was moved away from where he thought it was. "Thor paused. "But it is safe now. He will not be able to control feeble minded fools without it."

A sound of outrage shot from Clint's mouth. "Hey! I was controlled for a while!"

"All the more truth to Thor's credit," Tony smirked, ducking the piece of food flying at his head.

After a hearty laugh, Thor continued, "We fear that he fled to create a new army. Although he will come after the tesseract, we think that he will attack Earth first."

"Why?" Bruce asked.

"He knows that we will protect this planet. If he rules it, then he will have something to barter with."

Steve bit his lip, "How long do you think we have until he attacks?"

"It will take a moon's cycle for the potion to wear off. After that he will have his power back. Loki is strong though, and intelligent, he won't waste his time waiting patiently."

Steve nodded, "Have you told Fury yet?"

Thor nodded.

Steve straightened. "We have less time than I thought to train Serena. That is all we will be doing this week. Cancel all dates and dances and balls and benefits, anything," He looked pointedly at Tony. "We have a week to start to act like a team." Serena sat there amazed. Steve could turn from a relaxed friendly guy to a captain with a plan in a matter of seconds. "Next week we will have to go public with our new teammate. Tony, inform Pepper."

Tony grumbled but got out his phone, and started typing away.

"Let's see, today is Monday, that means we have a Wednesday morning training session with Fury. And then he will probably take the whole day getting Serena into SHIELD's system. That means tomorrow we should train as much as we can." Steve continued.

The Avengers agreed, "Everyone needs to be down in the gym at 8:30."

Clint turned to Tony, "Tony if you are late, I swear Pepper will know of all the things she doesn't," He paused dramatically, letting that sink in, "Like why her gold fish suddenly changed color after you tested on it and switched it."

Tony whined, "But that's early!" His voice reached a high pitch, "And you promised!" he said, turning on Clint.

With that, the meal ended, Bruce excused himself to go down to his lab. Tony and Clint slunk out of the room, while Natasha just got up and left, no excuse and Thor boomed that he needed to return to his home. Steve started to pile the dishes on his large arms muttering about the meatheads who never helped. Without being asked, Serena automatically started to help.

She got in trouble with being too entranced by the man that her grandmother had loved, when she tripped and a plate went flying. Steve's hand shoot out and grabbed it out of the air before it crashed to the ground. His grip was strong, apparently, as the plate shattered into a million of pieces.

"Sorry," She said blushing, as Steve pulled fragments out of his skin. "I'm a severe klutz off of the dance floor."

Steve smiled, "I know the feeling, before the serum, I couldn't do anything right. And then, waking up in this time, I had forgotten how strong I was. I can't tell you how many things I've broken. Everything in this time is so fragile." He laughed, remembering. "The first time I got mad, I grabbed on tight to a door handle and ribbed it right off! And then I was frustrated and slammed the door right through the wall." He laughed again, shaking his head, "I can laugh now, but boy, was I smoking mad then!" She joined in his laughter before he continued. "I still break things, like that plate, when I'm too hasty."

After that, they finished cleaning up in, keeping up a comfortable chatter. Both were careful about mentioning Peggy, but thankfully, most stories didn't have to involve her. By the time they were done, Serena was surprised to see that Steve's hand was completely healed. When she asked he just shrugged, blaming it on the serum.

**Get ready for more training and more domestic Avenger stuff!**


	13. Fitting in

**Sorry! This is sooooo very late! I'll try to get more up soon! Maybe this evening actually. I have it all written down in my notebook for a long time! I just have to type it up. So without further ado: Read on!**

* * *

Clint backed up as Natasha counted down "3…2…1"

Serena looked up as Clint came flying at her. When his fist connected with her stomach, Serena doubled over coughing. Clint had passed her, but when he realized she was hurt, he started back towards her.

"Oh, crap, sorry. I thought that you were ready." Clint said. He was almost stuttering with worry.

Serena swallowed hard. She had forgotten what it meant to get beaten up. This past year she had slacked on her exercises that her grandmother had set. Although the day before she had practiced hand to hand, Natasha was more likely to use her forearms than her fist.

Clint was getting closer and Serena's mind was racing, trying to figure out how to show that she wasn't a wimp, When her grandmother's voice came to her:

"If you're taken by surprise, get you mind back, IMMEDITLY. Act hurt, they will come towards you. Surprise them back. And PRAY that they don't have a gun.

Clint got closer to her and bent down to help her up.

Steady, steady, 3…2…1… go!

As soon as Clint was at his most vulnerable spot, she snapped up, letting her leg hit the back of his knees, knocking him down. His face was a mixture of surprise and amazement when he hit the ground. But if he was true to form, it would be just a second for him to be ready for another attack. She tackled him, grasping his wrists. When they hit the ground her chest and shoulders were pinning him to the ground. He twisted his shoulders, trying to break free.

As he struggled, Serena panted out, "I remember my grandmother telling me again and again to never approach your enemy until they're unconscious or dead." She smirked. "I'm surprised that an assassin like you wouldn't follow that advice."

Clint pouted, "I thought you were hurt! That's unfair!"

She grinned at him and shook her head. Clint wrapped his legs around her ankles. Because she was barely five foot and had a dancer's slim body, her ankle was at his knee high, making it easy for him to tip her over with his legs.

Air flooded out of her as they flipped over.

"Did you grandmother ever tell you to pick on people your own size." Clint said, mimicking her smirk from earlier.

She wrinkled her nose and wiggled. She was stuck. His legs were pinning her completely.

"You know, I could do this all day." He sat up letting his legs just pin her. "This is quite easy."

"Okay," Steve said, stepping in. "That's enough." He pulled Clint off of Serena.

"Bu- I wasn-" Clint stammered.

But Steve shook his head and reached down to help Serena up. She smiled gratefully, taking his hand and let his muscles pull her up.

"Okay, that was a good fight. Good job using surprise to your benefit, Serena. That really helped you." Steve turned to Clint. "You were okay. Just don't be childish."

"I don't think that's possible." Tony said walking out of the elevator. He looked at the digital clock, pointing to it. "Let it be known that Tony Stark was here at 8:29 this morning."

"What?" Clint said looking at the clock. "That's not possible it was 8:25 when I came down here. And we already warmed up and we have started fighting."

Steve also looked at the clock in wonder, but Natasha was the only one to figure out what had happened.

"JARVIS, did Tony reset the clock down here?"

"I'm sorry, Miss Romonav, I am not allowed to disclose that information." JARVIS's cool voice replied.

"So you did," Natasha said raising her eyebrows at Tony.

"JAR_VIS, _you're supposed to say no!" Tony whined, wrinkling his nose.

"Now that is what I call childish behavior," Clint said smiling.

Steve just shook his head and got some daggers down from the wall display. "Let's begin. I know all of us, except Natasha and Clint, are lacking in dagger skills, so that is what we will work on." He started to hand out the rubber daggers. "We will pair off and Natasha will help teach us until Thor gets here and then we will be even."

Serena looked around in surprise. She had been so intent on practicing she hadn't noticed that neither Bruce nor Thor were present. She waited until Tony and Clint had paired up, before walking over to Steve.

"I guess we are partners" was all she had time to say before Natasha started to bark instructions at them.

"Block, parry. Serena! Focus on your feet!" An hour later, all of the fighters were dripping sweat about ready to drop. Natasha's grueling training had taken the fight out of them. They were all grateful when Thor came in and Natasha called a break.

Serena dropped on the floor, pushing the sweat off of her face with the back of her hand. A towel came flying at her. And, of course, she ducked and let the towel land behind her. Reaching back she grabbed it before rubbing her face again.

"Okay folks, that was it for break time." Natasha yelled. "Let's pair with different partners now. And start the last combination."

By the time they were about ready to have the next break, Serena felt ready to drop in exhaustion. She was so unused to working the muscles in her body that they were screaming in outrage. The whoosh of the elevator doors brought all of their attentions towards Bruce as he stepped out with a tray and glasses filled with creamy, thick, light orange, liquid.

"I thought you all could use some food, you've been down here for hours." He said shrugging, trying to look happy.

Tony walked over with a big grin and quickly chugged down the drink before reaching for another. "What are these?"

"Mango lassi's, they're a typical drink from southwest Asia." Bruce explained at the rest of the team walked over.

"You know," Clint said after taking a big gulp and sitting down on the floor. "Being a team, doesn't just mean we have to fight together, we also have to work with each other."

"Where are you going with this?" Steve asked, cautiously.

"We could play team video games and learn how to work as a team." Clint said, laughing happily. "That way Bruce could join us too."

Soon, they all found themselves in the movie theater with a controller in their hands, all wet from their showers.

"Okay, let's see how many games Tony has added since the last time we played games." Clint said happily.

JARIVS turned on the screen and started it scroll through the games. The Avengers started to yell out suggestions as the games whizzed by.

As the day flew by, they ended up playing most of the games that Tony owned. When the sun started to drop in the sky, Tony and Bruce excused themselves, slipping down into their labs, trying to finish their projects. Slowly the others started to disperse until it was just Steve and Serena again.

"I'm going to get some water, you want some?" Serena said, standing up.

Steve nodded, "I'll come with you."

After getting the water, Steve showed her the balcony that looked over the entire city. As they both slid onto the chairs that were scattered across it.

"Why doesn't Bruce train with you guys?" She asked.

"The other guy might come out and Bruce doesn't want him to go rampant around the city."

"Oh," Serena said in a small voice, then continued louder. "Is this how your weeks usually go? Training and then messing around?"

"Not really. Usually Thor is either in the sky or with Jane in New Mexico. Tony and Bruce always have things to make or fix in their labs and Natasha and Clint have their own duties for SHEILD. I usually spend my time in the lab watching Bruce and Tony or drawing. I really don't have anything to do in this time." Steve said looking at his hands. "Only save the world."

Serena looked at the man and saw his sadness of leaving his time, so she came up with a conversation starter "Is it true that my grandmother once shot you?"

Steve looked up in surprise. "You heard about that?" He asked.

Shrugging, Serena explained. "Well, yeah. Granny liked to tell stories. Is it true or is it one of her tall tales?"

Steve looked down at her feet. "Well, it's true." His face was scarlet as he continued. "One of the other women at the base we were at had kissed me. Peggy caught us and she got upset. Howard-" He looked up at her, "Tony's father," She nodded, "was showing me the newest shield designs. Peggy came by and I guess she was upset, cuz when I asked her how it looked. She, well," He looks down blushing deeper. "She grabbed the closest hand gun and fired it at me. The marks are still visible, I wouldn't let anyone repair them."

Serena laughs, "Yeah, Granny isn't someone you would want to cross."

Steve was looking at her curiously, one eyebrow raised, mouth in a small quirk, like he was trying to figure something out.

"What?" She asked a tad defensively.

He shook his head, relaxing his face. "You're the only one who will talk to me about my past, and about Peggy." He pounded his fist on his knee. "The first thing I did after I woke up was look for her. But all her files were missing. Then when I asked about her nobody would meet my eyes or answer me. Then I met you and you said you were her granddaughter. I looked her up again, there was still nothing. What happened to her?"

Serena looked down at the floor, suddenly wishing that she hadn't asked him about that story. But Steve slightly confused and pensive face made her feel guilty. "I'm really not supposed to talk about her with you. I have my instructions. But I will tell you a little. After the war, Granny came to the United States to be closer to who you used to be. She lived in Brooklyn for her whole life. I did too. After my mother died, Granny took me under her wing. She was the best guardian I could have had. Shortly after I got accepted to the dance school here, her condition turned worse. She was accepted into a cheap nursing home and I graduated early and started a semester early."

Steve opened his mouth and hesitantly asked, "Is she still alive?"

"Wha- Oh, yeah. She just has some memory problems and she can't walk that well. But she is still alive and kicking." Serena grinned. "The last time I visited, I was failing one of my classes and, boy, her lungs are just fine."

"Hey!" Clint said poking his head out of the door. "Dinner's here! Come in!"

* * *

**Wow! That took a lot longer than I thought it would. **

**I kinda think that my chapters end badly, so I am trying to improve that. Please review so I know if you like my story. **

**Also, I suck at summaries and titles, so don't be surprised if it changes soon. **


	14. Going to SHIELD

**Thank you all who reviewed! They boosts my confidence a lot! Here is a little more!**

* * *

"Do you know how strong these are?" Fury asked her the next morning, holding her fans up to the light.

Serena shook her head.

The Avengers had taken her to the SHEILD headquarters and left Fury in charge of her.

"Okay, let's see." Fury motioned for Steve to come over from fighting with Natasha and Clint.

"Open you fan, and brace yourself for impact." Fury commanded, placing one of her fans in her hand. Turning to Steve, he said, "You are going to punch the fan as hard as you can."

Serena hesitated while Steve nodded. He positioned himself in a fighter's stance, while she slowly unfurled the fan.

The impact came fast and hard. One second she was on the ground, the next she was flying backward. When she landed, she glanced at Steve who was also on the ground, cradling his hand. Blood was trickling down his fist, but as she watched, the blood turned sluggish and stopped. By the time Steve let go of his hand, the cuts had stated to heal.

"Those are really strong. It's been a while since my fist has rebounded." Steve gasped. "What did Peggy use in those?"

Fury's eye narrowed at Peggy's name, but he turned to Serena, repeating Steve's question.

"She just showed up with them after I asked to learn how to fight with fans. I think they are from Japan or China. All I really know is they were very expensive."

"We will have to have them tested later." Fury said, taking the fans from her. "We need to make sure they're safe."

The doors to the training room slid open and Agent Hill came in. "Sir, the machines are ready for the scanning to take place."

Fury nodded. "Thank you, Agent Hill. Serena please go with her."

"This is a full body scanner," Agent Hill explained pointing to the machine. "You stand her and this ring comes down. It will take assess you vital signs, measurements and other medical techniques that make you you. This way we will be able to make a fight suit that fits your body perfectly. Now just step in."

After sliding into it, Serena stood still as the ring descended around her, glaring a bright blue light. The machines buzzed and a crackling holograph started to appear before her.

Serena stepped of the platform and walked up to it.

The holograph was a perfect image of her. The long dark hair in the intricate braid that she wore for fighting was matched on the projection. Her short, small body was encased in the tight shirt and black pants that she was wearing. As Serena moved about her, she noticed the projection was jerkily, mirroring her movements. Serena tried to get closer to see her face, but the projection was forever facing away from her. Serena stepped as close as she could, only to jump back in surprise.

"She's giving off heat!" She exclaimed

"Yes, we use these projections to confuse heat sensors." Agent Hill explained, reaching into a drawer next to the platform. "This is a gadget," She held up a small round of plastic. "That will assess your movements this week, so we can make a suit that will fit your movements. Also it will help this" she gestured toward the projection, "follow your movements better. It will help with training."

Serena took the gadget and placed it in her pocket. When she pulled her hand out, she was surprised to see that her projection moved smoothly with her. Intrigued, she spun around, watching the form beside her move. "It's like a really good mirror!" She cried happily. She went up on her toes and started to dance one of the partner dances that she knew by heart. She giggled as the projection and her synced perfectly.

At that moment, the Avengers filed in. Tony and Clint laughed at her delight, while Bruce just chuckled with Steve. Thor was instantly confused, "Agent of the Hills, why am I seeing doubles.

Instantly Serena stopped, blushing, and looked down at her feet. The Avengers laughed again, seeing two perfectly identical Serenas embarrassed.

Agent Hill, however, was not amused. She glared at the newcomers before stepping in front of Serena, holding Serena's bag that she had brought. "Do you have any other weapons that we should test?"

Serena grabbed her bag and dug in it. "I just have these," She said, pulling out a belt of knives, dangling from the end was a small compact hand gun.

"Good, while we have these tested, you can look at the suit designs that your team has drawn."

When the Avengers got home, Serena had several practice suits in her arms. SHIELD had made them with the material they had thought would work best for her fighting. They were all black but they had promised that they would have color.

In the Tower everyone went their separate ways. After going to her room to shower and put the suits away. Serena snuck down a room that she had found during her first week.

The floor had a big sprung wood floor with several mirrors placed on the walls. It was perfect for dancing. As she entered the room, she set down her speakers and turned on her music. Slowly and carefully, she warmed up. Stretching sore muscles until they were flexible.

She found the playlist she wanted before slipping out of her jacket and sliding into some soft leather practice shoes. Looking at the mirror she smiled. Her legs were covered in a silky lavender material that fluttered with every movement. Her top was only coved in a short sheaf of the silk that fit her like a bikini, showing her stomach and back muscles. The outfit had been her Arabian princess dress for one of her recitals she had done with her ballerinas.

She waited for the songs to play through her speakers before beginning to dance.

She worked with her body, letting it lead her through the improvisation piece, slowly emptying her mind of thoughts.

Through the songs she could become anything she wanted. She was a snake moving slowly through the amazon, lazily twisting her body around. She became a majestic eagle, leaping high in the air, to float down and land softly. The music turned her into the quick, flighty sparrow Small jumps lifting her off the ground before she took off in a dancer's smooth run.

She was on the slick movements of a jungle cat, when a voice broke her calm.

"JARIVS said you would be down her."

Serena spun on the ball of her foot, stunned to see all the Avengers there. Her hands came up to cover her stomach.

"He said all of us should come down, it would help us get to know you better, that sneaky bastard," Tony said.

Serena blushed, slowly taking steps back before her mouth overtook her body. "Sorry, sorry, I can see my muscles better in this outfit," she said, embarrassed that they had seen her half naked." It improves my dancing." She reached behind her and grabbed her jacket, quickly pulling it on.

Tony stepped forward and raised his hand, stopping her worried ramblings. "We don't need any excuses. We just came down to tell you that next Friday, we are going public. It's going to be a costume party. But don't worry about it. Pepper will deliver your costume to your room, next week." He scanned her body, eyes pausing were the jacket sagged open to show her flat stomach. "Though, if you want you can wear that, I know nobody would complain." He raised his eyebrows.

She just blushed, pulling the jacket closed tight.

"No?" He asked. "Oh well, I tried. Come up in a bit. We will have dinner."

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**Okay, I really just wanted to add some more dancing. I hoped you liked it. **

**I started the next chapter before Halloween because I got an idea then. But I didn't get it up in time. Soooo, it is almost Halloween in the story!**


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